India
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"Bharat" redirects here. For other uses, see Bharat (disambiguation).
This article is about the Republic of India. For other uses, see India (disambiguation).
/ˈɪndiə/), officially the Republic of India (Hindi: भारत गणराज्य Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also official names of India), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.18 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world.[16][17] Mainland India is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east; and it is bordered by Pakistan to the west;[note] Bhutan, the People's Republic of China and Nepal to the north; and Bangladesh and Burma to the east. In the Indian Ocean, mainland India and the Lakshadweep Islands are in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, while India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share maritime border with Thailand and the Indonesian island of Sumatra in the Andaman Sea.[18] India has a coastline of 7,517 kilometres (4,700 mi).[19]Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history.[20] Four of the world's major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism—originated here, while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the first millennium CE and shaped the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early eighteenth century and colonised by the United Kingdom from the mid-nineteenth century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by widespread non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.[21]
India is a federal constitutional republic with a parliamentary democracy consisting of 28 states and seven union territories. A pluralistic, multilingual and multiethnic society, India is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The Indian economy is the world's eleventh largest economy by nominal GDP and the fourth largest by purchasing power parity. Since the introduction of market-based economic reforms in 1991, India has become one of the fastest growing major economies in the world;[22] however, the country continues to face several poverty, illiteracy, corruption and public health related challenges. India is classified as a newly industrialised country[23][24] and is one of the four BRIC nations. It is a nuclear weapons state and has the third-largest standing armed force in the world,[25] while its military expenditure ranks tenth in the world. India is a regional power[26] in South Asia.
It is a founding member of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the East Asia Summit, the G20 industrial nations, and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8+5 and a member observer state in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
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Etymology
Main article: Names of India
The name India is derived from Indus, which is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu, from Sanskrit सिन्धु Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River.[27] The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi (Ινδοί), the people of the Indus.[28] The Constitution of India and common usage in various Indian languages also recognise Bharat (pronounced [ˈbʱɑːrʌt̪] (
listen)) as an official name of equal status.[29] The name Bharat is derived from the name of the legendary king Bharata in Hindu scriptures. Hindustan ([hɪnd̪ʊˈstɑːn] ( listen)), originally a Persian word for “Land of the Hindus” referring to northern India, is also occasionally used as a synonym for all of India.[30]History
Main articles: History of India and History of the Republic of India
Stone Age rock shelters with paintings at the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh are the earliest known traces of human life in India. The first known permanent settlements appeared about 8,500 years ago and gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation,[31] dating back to 3400 BCE in western India. It was followed by the Vedic period, which laid the foundations of Hinduism and other cultural aspects of early Indian society, and ended in the 500s BCE. From around 550 BCE, many independent kingdoms and republics known as the Mahajanapadas were established across the country.[32]
Following invasions from Central Asia between the 10th and 12th centuries, much of northern India came under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire. Under the rule of Akbar the Great, India enjoyed much cultural and economic progress as well as religious harmony.[36][37] Mughal emperors gradually expanded their empires to cover large parts of the subcontinent. However, in northeastern India, the dominant power was the Ahom kingdom of Assam, among the few kingdoms to have resisted Mughal subjugation. The first major threat to Mughal imperial power came from a Hindu Rajput king Maha Rana Pratap of Mewar in the 16th century and later from a Hindu state known as the Maratha confederacy, that ruled much of India in the mid-18th century.[38]
From the 16th century, European powers such as Portugal, the Netherlands, France, and Great Britain established trading posts and later took advantage of internal conflicts to establish colonies in the country. By 1856, most of India was under the control of the British East India Company.[39] A year later, a nationwide insurrection of rebelling military units and kingdoms, known as India's First War of Independence or the Sepoy Mutiny, seriously challenged the Company's control but eventually failed. As a result of the instability, India was brought under the direct rule of the British Crown.
On 15 August 1947, India gained independence from British rule, but at the same time the Muslim-majority areas were partitioned to form a separate state of Pakistan.[41] On 26 January 1950, India became a republic and a new constitution came into effect.[42]
Since independence, India has faced challenges from religious violence, casteism, naxalism, terrorism and regional separatist insurgencies, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast India. Since the 1990s terrorist attacks have affected many Indian cities. India has unresolved territorial disputes with the People's Republic of China, which, in 1962, escalated into the Sino-Indian War, and with Pakistan, which resulted in wars in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999. India is a founding member of the United Nations (as British India) and the Non-Aligned Movement.
India is a state armed with nuclear weapons; having conducted its first nuclear test in 1974,[43] followed by another five tests in 1998.[43] Beginning 1991, significant economic reforms[44] have transformed India into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, increasing its global clout.[22]
Government
Main article: Government of India
 National Symbols of India[45][46] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Flag | Tricolour | |
| Emblem | Sarnath Lion Capital | |
| Anthem | Jana Gana Mana | |
| Song | Vande Mataram | |
| Animal | Royal Bengal Tiger | |
| Bird | Indian Peacock | |
| Aquatic animal | Dolphin | |
| Flower | Lotus | |
| Tree | Banyan | |
| Fruit | Mango | |
| Sport | Field hockey | |
| Calendar | Saka | |
| River | Ganges | |
Constitution
Main article: Constitution of India
The Constitution of India, the longest and the most exhaustive among constitutions of independent nations in the world, came into force on 26 January 1950.[48] The preamble of the constitution defines India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.[49] India has a bicameral parliament operating under a Westminster-style parliamentary system. Its form of government was traditionally described as being 'quasi-federal' with a strong centre and weaker states,[50] but it has grown increasingly federal since the late 1990s as a result of political, economic and social changes.[51]President and Prime Minister
The President of India is the head of state[52] elected indirectly by an electoral college[53] for a five-year term.[54][55] The Prime Minister is the head of government and exercises most executive power.[52] Appointed by the President,[56] the Prime Minister is by convention supported by the party or political alliance holding the majority of seats in the lower house of Parliament.[52] The executive branch consists of the President, Vice-President, and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet being its executive committee) headed by the Prime Minister. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a member of either house of parliament. In the Indian parliamentary system, the executive is subordinate to the legislature, with the Prime Minister and his Council being directly responsible to the lower house of the Parliament.[57]Legislature
The Legislature of India is the bicameral Parliament, which consists of the upper house called the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the lower house called the Lok Sabha (House of People).[58] The Rajya Sabha, a permanent body, has 245 members serving staggered six year terms.[59] Most are elected indirectly by the state and territorial legislatures in proportion to the state's population.[59] 543 of the Lok Sabha's 545 members are directly elected by popular vote to represent individual constituencies for five year terms.[59] The other two members are nominated by the President from the Anglo-Indian community if the President is of the opinion that the community is not adequately represented.[59]Judiciary
India has a unitary three-tier judiciary, consisting of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India, 21 High Courts, and a large number of trial courts.[60] The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over cases involving fundamental rights and over disputes between states and the Centre, and appellate jurisdiction over the High Courts.[61] It is judicially independent,[60] and has the power to declare the law and to strike down Union or State laws which contravene the Constitution.[62] The role as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution is one of the most important functions of the Supreme Court.[63]Administrative divisions
Main article: Administrative divisions of India
India consists of 28 states and seven Union Territories.[64] All states, and the two union territories of Puducherry and the National Capital Territory of Delhi, have elected legislatures and governments patterned on the Westminster model. The other five union territories are directly ruled by the Centre through appointed administrators. In 1956, under the States Reorganisation Act, states were formed on a linguistic basis.[65] Since then, this structure has remained largely unchanged. Each state or union territory is further divided into administrative districts.[66] The districts in turn are further divided into tehsils and eventually into villages.
Politics
Main article: Politics of India
Within Indian political culture, the Indian National Congress is considered centre-left or "liberal" and the Bharatiya Janata Party is considered centre-right or "conservative". The INC was out of power between 1977 and 1980, when the Janata Party won the election owing to public discontent with the state of emergency declared by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In 1989, a Janata Dal-led National Front coalition in alliance with the Left Front coalition won the elections but managed to stay in power for only two years.[67] As the 1991 elections gave no political party a majority, the INC formed a minority government under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and was able to complete its five-year term.[68]
The years 1996–1998 were a period of turmoil in the federal government with several short-lived alliances holding sway. The BJP formed a government briefly in 1996, followed by the United Front coalition that excluded both the BJP and the INC. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with several other parties and became the first non-Congress government to complete a full five-year term.[69]
In the 2004 Indian elections, the INC won the largest number of Lok Sabha seats and formed a government with a coalition called the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), supported by various Left-leaning parties and members opposed to the BJP. The UPA again came into power in the 2009 general election; however, the representation of the Left leaning parties within the coalition has significantly reduced.[70] Manmohan Singh became the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term.[71]
Foreign relations and military
Main articles: Foreign relations of India and Indian Armed Forces
In recent years, India has played an influential role in the SAARC and the WTO.[76] India has provided as many as 55,000 Indian military and police personnel to serve in thirty-five UN peacekeeping operations across four continents.[14] India is also an active participant in various mutlilateral forums, particularly the East Asia Summit[77] and the G8+5.[78] Recent overtures by the Indian government have strengthened relations with the United States and the People's Republic of China. In the economic sphere, India has close relationships with other developing nations in South America, Asia and Africa.
India became a nuclear power in 1974 after conducting an initial nuclear test, known as the Operation Smiling Buddha, and carried out further underground testing in 1998. Despite criticism and military sanctions, India has consistently refused to sign the CTBT and the NPT. India maintains a "no first use" nuclear policy[82] and is developing nuclear triad capability as a part of its "minimum credible deterrence" doctrine.[82] On 10 October 2008, a civilian nuclear agreement between India and the United States was signed, prior to which India received waivers from the IAEA and the NSG which ended restrictions on nuclear technology commerce and recognised India as the world's de facto sixth nuclear weapons state.[83] Following the NSG waiver, India has also signed civilian nuclear energy cooperation agreements with several other nations including Russia,[84] France,[85] the United Kingdom[86] and Canada.[87]
Geography
Main article: Geography of India
See also: Geological history of India and Climate of India
India's defining geological processes commenced seventy-five million years ago, when the Indian subcontinent, then part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana, began a northeastwards drift—lasting fifty million years—across the then unformed Indian Ocean.[88] The subcontinent's subsequent collision with the Eurasian Plate and subduction under it, gave rise to the Himalayas, the planet's highest mountains, which now abut India in the north and the north-east.[88] In the former seabed immediately south of the emerging Himalayas, plate movement created a vast trough, which, having gradually been filled with river-borne sediment,[89] now forms the Indo-Gangetic Plain.[90] To the west of this plain, and cut off from it by the Aravalli Range, lies the Thar Desert.[91]
The original Indian plate now survives as peninsular India, the oldest and most geologically stable part of India, and extends as far north as the Satpura and Vindhya ranges in central India. These parallel ranges run from the Arabian Sea coast in Gujarat in the west to the coal-rich Chota Nagpur Plateau in Jharkhand in the east.[92] To their south, the remaining peninsular landmass, the Deccan Plateau, is flanked on the left and right by the coastal ranges, Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats respectively;[93] the plateau contains the oldest rock formations in India, some over one billion years old. Constituted in such fashion, India lies to the north of the equator between 6°44' and 35°30' north latitude[94] and 68°7' and 97°25' east longitude.[95]
India's coast is 7,517 kilometres (4,700 mi) long; of this distance, 5,423 kilometres (3,400 mi) belong to peninsular India, and 2,094 kilometres (1,300 mi) to the Andaman, Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands.[19] According to the Indian naval hydrographic charts, the mainland coast consists of the following: 43% sandy beaches, 11% rocky coast including cliffs, and 46% mudflats or marshy coast.[19]
India's climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert, both of which drive the monsoons.[101] The Himalayas prevent cold Central Asian Katabatic wind from blowing in, keeping the bulk of the Indian subcontinent warmer than most locations at similar latitudes.[102][103] The Thar Desert plays a crucial role in attracting the moisture-laden southwest summer monsoon winds that, between June and October, provide the majority of India's rainfall.[101] Four major climatic groupings predominate in India: tropical wet, tropical dry, subtropical humid, and montane.[104]
Flora and fauna
Main articles: Flora of India and Fauna of India
See also: List of ecoregions in India
India's forest cover ranges from the tropical rainforest of the Andaman Islands, Western Ghats, and North-East India to the coniferous forest of the Himalaya. Between these extremes lie the sal-dominated moist deciduous forest of eastern India; the teak-dominated dry deciduous forest of central and southern India; and the babul-dominated thorn forest of the central Deccan and western Gangetic plain.[110] Important Indian trees include the medicinal neem, widely used in rural Indian herbal remedies. The pipal fig tree, shown on the seals of Mohenjo-daro, shaded Gautama Buddha as he sought enlightenment. According to latest report, less than 12% of India's landmass is covered by dense forests.[111]
Many Indian species are descendants of taxa originating in Gondwana, from which the Indian plate separated. Peninsular India's subsequent movement towards, and collision with, the Laurasian landmass set off a mass exchange of species. However, volcanism and climatic changes 20 million years ago caused the extinction of many endemic Indian forms.[112] Soon thereafter, mammals entered India from Asia through two zoogeographical passes on either side of the emerging Himalaya.[110] Consequently, among Indian species, only 12.6% of mammals and 4.5% of birds are endemic, contrasting with 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of amphibians.[107] Notable endemics are the Nilgiri leaf monkey and the brown and carmine Beddome's toad of the Western Ghats. India contains 172, or 2.9%, of IUCN-designated threatened species.[113] These include the Asiatic Lion, the Bengal Tiger, and the Indian white-rumped vulture, which suffered a near-extinction from ingesting the carrion of diclofenac-treated cattle.
In recent decades, human encroachment has posed a threat to India's wildlife; in response, the system of national parks and protected areas, first established in 1935, was substantially expanded. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act[114] and Project Tiger to safeguard crucial habitat; in addition, the Forest Conservation Act[115] was enacted in 1980. Along with more than five hundred wildlife sanctuaries, India hosts thirteen biosphere reserves,[116] four of which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; twenty-five wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention.[117]
Economy
Main article: Economy of India
From the 1950s to the 1980s, India followed socialist-inspired policies. The economy was shackled by extensive regulation, protectionism and public ownership, leading to pervasive corruption and slow economic growth.[122] In 1991, the nation liberalised its economy and has since moved towards a free-market economy.[123][124] The policy change in 1991 came after an acute balance of payments crisis, and the emphasis since then has been to use foreign trade and foreign investment as integral parts of India's economy.[125] Currently, India's economic system is portrayed as a capitalist model with the influx of private enterprise.[124]
India has the world's second largest labour force, with 467 million people.[126] In terms of output, the agricultural sector accounts for 28% of GDP; the service and industrial sectors make up 54% and 18% respectively. Major agricultural products include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes.[64] Major industries include textiles, telecommunications, chemicals, food processing, steel, transport equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery and software.[64] India's external trade has reached a relatively moderate share of 24% of GDP in 2006, up from 6% in 1985.[123] In 2008, India's share of world trade was about 1.68%;[127] in 2009, it was the world's fifteenth largest importer and eighteenth largest exporter.[128] Major exports include petroleum products, textile goods, gems and jewelry, software, engineering goods, chemicals, and leather manufactures.[64] Major imports include crude oil, machinery, gems, fertiliser, chemicals.[64]
Despite India's impressive economic growth over recent decades, it still contains the largest concentration of poor people in the world.[138] The percentage of people living below the World Bank's international poverty line of $1.25 a day (PPP, in nominal terms
21.6 a day in urban areas and 14.3 in rural areas in 2005) decreased from 60% in 1981 to 42% in 2005.[139] Since 1991, inter-state economic inequality in India has consistently grown; the per capita net state domestic product of India's richest states is about 3.2 times that of the poorest states.[140] Even though India has avoided famines in recent decades, half of children are underweight[141] and about 46% of Indian children under the age of three suffer from malnutrition.[142][138][143]A 2007 Goldman Sachs report projected that "from 2007 to 2020, India’s GDP per capita will quadruple," and that the Indian GDP will surpass that of the United States before 2050, but India "will remain a low-income country for several decades, with per capita incomes well below its other BRIC peers."[144] Although the Indian economy has grown steadily over the last two decades; its growth has been uneven when comparing different social groups, economic groups, geographic regions, and rural and urban areas.[138] The World Bank suggests that India must continue to focus on public sector reform, infrastructure, agricultural and rural development, removal of labour regulations, improvement in transport, energy security, and health and nutrition.[145]
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of India
See also: Religion in India, Languages of India, Ethnic groups of South Asia, and List of most populous metropolitan areas in India
India is home to two major linguistic families: Indo-Aryan (spoken by about 74% of the population) and Dravidian (spoken by about 24%). Other languages spoken in India come from the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman linguistic families. Neither the Constitution of India, nor any Indian law defines any national language.[8] Hindi, with the largest number of speakers,[151] is the official language of the union.[152] English is used extensively in business and administration and has the status of a 'subsidiary official language;'[153] it is also important in education, especially as a medium of higher education. In addition, every state and union territory has its own official languages, and the constitution also recognises in particular 21 "scheduled languages".
As per the 2001 census, over 800 million Indians (80.5%) were Hindu. Other religious groups include Muslims (13.4%), Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%), Buddhists (0.8%), Jains (0.4%), Jews, Zoroastrians and Bahá'ís.[154] Tribals constitute 8.1% of the population.[155] India has the third-highest Muslim population in the world and has the highest population of Muslims for a non-Muslim majority country.
India's literacy rate is 64.8% (53.7% for females and 75.3% for males).[42] The state of Kerala has the highest literacy rate at 91% while Bihar has the lowest at 47%.[156][157] The national human sex ratio is 944 females per 1,000 males. India's median age is 24.9, and the population growth rate of 1.38% per annum; there are 22.01 births per 1,000 people per year.[42] Though India has one of the world's most diverse and modern healthcare systems, the country continues to face several public health-related challenges.[158][159] According to the World Health Organization, 900,000 Indians die each year from drinking contaminated water and breathing in polluted air.[160] There are about 60 physicians per 100,000 people in India.[161]
Culture
Main article: Culture of India
Indian religions form one of the most defining aspects of Indian culture.[168] Major dhármic religions which were founded in India include Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Considered to be a successor to the ancient Vedic religion,[169] Hinduism has been shaped by several schools of thoughts such as the Advaita Vedanta,[170] the Yoga Sutras and the Bhakti movement.[168] Buddhism originated in India in 5th century BCE and prominent early Buddhist schools, such as Theravāda and Mahāyāna, gained dominance during the Maurya Empire.[168] Though Buddhism entered a period of gradual decline in India 5th century CE onwards,[171] it played an influential role in shaping Indian philosophy and thought.[168]
Traditional Indian society is defined by relatively strict social hierarchy. The Indian caste system describes the social stratification and social restrictions in the Indian subcontinent, in which social classes are defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary groups, often termed as jātis or castes.[172] Several influential social reform movements, such as the Bramho Shômaj, the Arya Samāja and the Ramakrishna Mission, have played a pivotal role in the emancipation of Dalits (or "untouchables") and other lower-caste communities in India.[173] However, the majority of Dalits continue to live in segregation and are often persecuted and discriminated against.[174]
Traditional Indian family values are highly respected, and multi-generational patriarchal joint families have been the norm, although nuclear families are becoming common in urban areas.[122] An overwhelming majority of Indians have their marriages arranged by their parents and other respected family members, with the consent of the bride and groom.[175] Marriage is thought to be for life,[175] and the divorce rate is extremely low.[176] Child marriage is still a common practice, with half of women in India marrying before the legal age of 18.[177][178]
Indian cuisine is characterised by a wide variety of regional styles and sophisticated use of herbs and spices. The staple foods in the region are rice (especially in the south and the east) and wheat (predominantly in the north).[179] Spices, such as black pepper which are now consumed world wide, are originally native to the Indian subcontinent. Chili pepper, which was introduced by the Portuguese, is also widely used in Indian cuisine.[180]
Many Indian festivals are religious in origin, although several are celebrated irrespective of caste and creed. Some popular festivals are Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ugadi, Thai Pongal, Holi, Onam, Vijayadashami, Durga Puja, Eid ul-Fitr, Bakr-Id, Christmas, Buddha Jayanti, Moharram and Vaisakhi.[181][181] India has three national holidays which are observed in all states and union territories — Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanthi. Other sets of holidays, varying between nine and twelve, are officially observed in individual states. Religious practices are an integral part of everyday life and are a very public affair.
Indian architecture is one area that represents the diversity of Indian culture. Much of it, including notable monuments such as the Taj Mahal and other examples of Mughal architecture and South Indian architecture, comprises a blend of ancient and varied local traditions from several parts of the country and abroad. Vernacular architecture also displays notable regional variation.
Indian music covers a wide range of traditions and regional styles. Classical music largely encompasses the two genres – North Indian Hindustani, South Indian Carnatic traditions and their various offshoots in the form of regional folk music. Regionalised forms of popular music include filmi and folk music; the syncretic tradition of the bauls is a well-known form of the latter.
Indian dance too has diverse folk and classical forms. Among the well-known folk dances are the bhangra of the Punjab, the bihu of Assam, the chhau of West Bengal, Jharkhand , sambalpuri of Orissa , the ghoomar of Rajasthan and the Lavani of Maharashtra. Eight dance forms, many with narrative forms and mythological elements, have been accorded classical dance status by India's National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama. These are: bharatanatyam of the state of Tamil Nadu, kathak of Uttar Pradesh, kathakali and mohiniyattam of Kerala, kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, manipuri of Manipur, odissi of Orissa and the sattriya of Assam.[182]
Theatre in India often incorporates music, dance, and improvised or written dialogue.[183] Often based on Hindu mythology, but also borrowing from medieval romances, and news of social and political events, Indian theatre includes the bhavai of state of Gujarat, the jatra of West Bengal, the nautanki and ramlila of North India, the tamasha of Maharashtra, the burrakatha of Andhra Pradesh, the terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu, and the yakshagana of Karnataka.[184]
The Indian film industry is the largest in the world.[185] Bollywood, based in Mumbai, makes commercial Hindi films and is the most prolific film industry in the world.[186] Established traditions also exist in Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Tamil, and Telugu language cinemas.[187]
The earliest works of Indian literature were transmitted orally and only later written down.[188] These included works of Sanskrit literature – such as the early Vedas, the epics Mahābhārata and Ramayana, the drama Abhijñānaśākuntalam (The Recognition of Śakuntalā), and poetry such as the Mahākāvya[189] – and the Tamil language Sangam literature.[190] Among Indian writers of the modern era active in Indian languages or English, Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in 1913.
Sport
Main article: Sport in India
India is home to several traditional sports which originated in the country and continue to remain fairly popular. These include kabaddi, kho kho, pehlwani and gilli-danda. One of the earliest forms of Asian martial arts, such as Kalarippayattu, Yuddha, Silambam and Varma Kalai, originated in India. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award are India's highest awards for achievements in sports, while the Dronacharya Award is awarded for excellence in coaching.
Chess, commonly held to have originated in India, is regaining widespread popularity with the rise in the number of Indian Grandmasters.[192] Tennis has also become increasingly popular, owing to the victories of the India Davis Cup team and the success of Indian tennis players.[193] India has a strong presence in shooting sports, winning several medals at the Olympics, the World Shooting Championships and the Commonwealth Games.[194][195] Other sports in which Indian sports-persons have won numerous awards or medals at international sporting events include badminton,[196] boxing[197] and wrestling.[198][199] Football is a popular sport in northeastern India, West Bengal, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.[200]
India has hosted or co-hosted several international sporting events, such as the 1951 and the 1982 Asian Games, the 1987 and 1996 Cricket World Cup, the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, the 2010 Hockey World Cup and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Major international sporting events annually held in India include the Chennai Open, Mumbai Marathon and the Indian Masters. The country is scheduled to host the 2011 Cricket World Cup and the first Indian Grand Prix in 2011.
See also
Main articles: Outline of India and Index of India-related articles
Notes
^ The Government of India also considers Afghanistan to be a bordering country. This is because it considers the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir to be a part of India including the portion bordering Afghanistan. A ceasefire sponsored by the United Nations in 1948 froze the positions of Indian and Pakistani-held territory. As a consequence, the region bordering Afghanistan is in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.Citations
- ^ "State Emblem -Inscription". National Informatics Centre(NIC). http://www.india.gov.in/knowindia/state_emblem.php. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
- ^ "National Anthem – Know India portal". National Informatics Centre(NIC). 2007. http://india.gov.in/knowindia/national_anthem.php. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
- ^ "National Song – Know India portal". National Informatics Centre(NIC). 2007. http://india.gov.in/knowindia/national_song.php. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
- ^ "Constituent Assembly of India — Volume XII". Constituent Assembly of India: Debates. parliamentofindia.nic.in, National Informatics Centre. 24 January 1950. http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/vol12p1.htm. Retrieved 29 June 2007. "The composition consisting of the words and music known as Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of India, subject to such alterations in the words as the Government may authorise as occasion arises; and the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it."
- ^ "The Union: Official Language". Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. National Informatics Centre(NIC). 2007. http://india.gov.in/knowindia/official_language.php. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
- ^ "Notification No. 2/8/60-O.L., dated 27 April 1960". Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. National Informatics Centre(NIC). http://www.rajbhasha.gov.in/preseng.htm. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
- ^ "Official Languages Resolution, 1968". Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. National Informatics Centre(NIC). http://www.rajbhasha.gov.in/dolresolutioneng.htm. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
- ^ a b "Hindi, not a national language: Court". The Hindu. 25 January 2010. http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article94695.ece. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
- ^ a b "India at a Glance". Know India Portal. National Informatics Centre(NIC). http://india.gov.in/knowindia/india_at_a_glance.php. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
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- ^ "Doctors per one hundred thousand people in India". IndiaReports. http://india-reports.in/transitions/global-skills/doctors-per-one-hundred-thousand-people-in-india.
- ^ "Taj Mahal". World Heritage List. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list. Retrieved 28 September 2007. "The World Heritage List includes 851 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value."
- ^ Das, N.K. (July 2006). "Cultural Diversity, ReligiousSyncretism and People of India: An Anthropological Interpretation". Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology 3 (2nd). ISSN 1819-8465. http://www.bangladeshsociology.org/Content.htm. Retrieved 27 September 2007. "The pan-Indian, civilisational dimension of cultural pluralism and syncretism encompasses ethnic diversity and admixture, linguistic heterogeneity as well as fusion, and variations as well as synthesis in customs, behavioural patterns, beliefs and rituals".
- ^ Baidyanath, Saraswati (2006). "Cultural Pluralism, National Identity and Development". Interface of Cultural Identity Development (1stEdition ed.). New Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. xxi+290 pp. ISBN 81-246-0054-6. http://ignca.nic.in/ls_03.htm. Retrieved 8 June 2007.
- ^ Arnett, Robert. India Unveiled. Atman Press, 2006.
- ^ Sharma, Shaloo. History and Development of Higher Education in India. Sarup & Sons, 2002.
- ^ de Bruyn, Pippa. Frommer's India. Frommer's, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Heehs, Peter. Indian religions: a historical reader of spiritual expression and experience. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2002.
- ^ Stietencron, Hinduism: On the Proper Use of A Deceptive Term, pp.1–22
- ^ "Advaita Vedanta: A Philosophical Reconstruction,"By Eliot Deutsch, University of Hawaii Press, 1980, ISBN 0-8248-0271-3.
- ^ Merriam-Webster, pg. 155–157
- ^ "India – Caste". Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
- ^ Paswan, Sanjay. Encyclopaedia of Dalits in India: Movements. Gyan Publishing House, 2002.
- ^ "UN report slams India for caste discrimination". CBC News. 2 March 2007.
- ^ a b Medora, Nilufer (2003). "Mate selection in contemporary India: Love marriages versus arranged marriages". In Hamon, Raeann R. and Ingoldsby, Bron B.. Mate Selection Across Cultures. SAGE. pp. 209–230. ISBN 0761925929.
- ^ "Divorce Rate In India". http://www.divorcerate.org/divorce-rate-in-india.html.
- ^ "Child marriages targeted in India". BBC News. 24 October 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1617759.stm. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
- ^ "State of the World’s Children-2009". UNICEF. 2009. http://www.unicef.org/sowc09/docs/SOWC09_Table_9.pdf.
- ^ Delphine, Roger, "The History and Culture of Food in Asia", in Kiple & Kriemhild 2000, pp. 1140–1151.
- ^ Achaya 1994, Achaya 1997
- ^ a b "List of Holidays in India". http://www.indianpublicholidays.com/2009/11/list-of-holidays-in-india-2010/. Retrieved 07 July 2010.
- ^ 1. "South Asian arts: Techniques and Types of Classical Dance"From: Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 12 Oct. 2007. 2. Sangeet Natak Academi (National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama, New Delhi, India). 2007. Dance Programmes[dead link]. 3. Kothari, Sunil. 2007. Sattriya dance of the celibate monks of Assam, India. Royal Holloway College, University of London.
- ^ Lal 1998.
- ^ (Karanth 1997, p. 26). Quote: "The Yakṣagāna folk-theatre is no isolated theatrical form in India. We have a number of such theatrical traditions all around Karnataka... In far off Assam we have similar plays going on by the name of Ankia Nat, in neighouring Bengal we have the very popular Jatra plays. Maharashtra has Tamasa. (p. 26.)
- ^ "Country profile: India". BBC. 19 August 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/country_profiles/1154019.stm. Retrieved 2007.
- ^ Dissanayake & Gokulsing 2004.
- ^ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen (editors) 1999
- ^ MacDonell 2004, pp. 1–40.
- ^ Johnson 1998, MacDonell 2004, pp. 1–40, and Kalidasa & Johnson (editor) 2001.
- ^ 1. Encyclopaedia Britannica (2008), "Tamil Literature."Quote: "Apart from literature written in classical (Indo-Aryan) Sanskrit, Tamil is the oldest literature in India. Some inscriptions on stone have been dated to the 3rd century BC, but Tamil literature proper begins around the 1st century AD. Much early poetry was religious or epic; an exception was the secular court poetry written by members of the sangam, or literary academy (see Sangam literature)." 2. Ramanujan 1985, pp. ix–x. Quote: "These poems are 'classical,' i.e. early, ancient; they are also 'classics,' i.e. works that have stood the test of time, the founding works of a whole tradition. Not to know them is not to know a unique and major poetic achievement of Indian civilisation. Early classical Tamil literature (c. 100 BC–AD 250) consists of the Eight Anthologies (Eţţuttokai), the Ten Long Poems (Pattuppāţţu), and a grammar called the Tolkāppiyam or the 'Old Composition.' ... The literature of classical Tamil later came to be known as Cankam (pronounced Sangam) literature. (pp. ix–x.)"
- ^ Shores, Lori. Teens in India. Compass Point Books, 2007. ISBN 0756520630, 9780756520632.
- ^ "Anand crowned World champion". Rediff. 29 October 2008. http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/oct/29anand.htm. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
- ^ "India Aims for Center Court". WSJ. September 11 2009. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574406704026883502.html. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
- ^ "Shooting is India's No. 1 sport: Gagan". Deccan Herald. 5 October 2010. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/102196/shooting-indias-no-1-sport.html. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- ^ "Sawant shoots historic gold at World Championships". TOI. Aug 9, 2010. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/shooting/Sawant-shoots-historic-gold-at-World-Championships/articleshow/6274795.cms. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- ^ "Saina Nehwal: India's badminton star and 'new woman'". BBC. 1 August 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10725584. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- ^ "Is boxing the new cricket?". Live Mint. Sep 24 2010. http://www.livemint.com/2010/09/24211250/Is-boxing-the-new-cricket.html. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- ^ "India makes clean sweep in Greco-Roman wrestling". TOI. Oct 5, 2010. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cwgarticleshow/6691936.cms. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- ^ "Sushil Kumar wins gold in World Wrestling Championship". TOI. Sep 12, 2010. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/wrestling/Sushil-Kumar-wins-gold-in-World-Wrestling-Championship/articleshow/6542488.cms. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- ^ Majumdar & Bandyopadhyay 2006, pp. 1–5.
References
- History
- Brown, Judith M. (1994). Modern India: The Origins of an Asian Democracy. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. xiii, 474. ISBN 0198731132. http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780198731139.
- Guha, Ramchandra (2007). India after Gandhi — The History of the World's Largest Democracy. 1st edition. Picador. xxvii, 900. ISBN 978-0-330-39610-3.
- Kulke, Hermann; Dietmar Rothermund (2004). A History of India. 4th edition. Routledge. xii, 448. ISBN 0415329205. http://www.amazon.com/History-India-Hermann-Kulke/dp/0415329205/.
- Metcalf, Barbara; Thomas R. Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (Cambridge Concise Histories). Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. xxxiii, 372. ISBN 0521682258. http://www.amazon.com/Concise-History-Modern-Cambridge-Histories/dp/0521682258/.
- Spear, Percival (1990). A History of India. 2. New Delhi and London: Penguin Books. p. 298. ISBN 0140138366. http://www.amazon.com/History-India-Vol-2/dp/0140138366/ref=pd_ybh_a_6/104-7029728-9591925.
- Stein, Burton (2001). A History of India. New Delhi and Oxford: Oxford University Press. xiv, 432. ISBN 0195654463. http://www.amazon.com/History-India-World/dp/0631205462/ref=pd_ybh_a_7/104-7029728-9591925.
- Thapar, Romila (1990). A History of India. 1. New Delhi and London: Penguin Books. p. 384. ISBN 0140138358. http://www.amazon.com/History-India-Penguin/dp/0140138358/.
- Wolpert, Stanley (2003). A New History of India. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 544. ISBN 0195166787. http://www.amazon.com/New-History-India-Stanley-Wolpert/dp/0195166787/.
- Geography
- Dikshit, K.R.; Joseph E. Schwartzberg (2007). "India: The Land". Encyclopædia Britannica. pp. 1–29. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285248/India. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
- Government of India (2007). India Yearbook 2007. Publications Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. ISBN 81-230-1423-6.
- Heitzman, J.; R.L. Worden (1996). India: A Country Study. Library of Congress (Area Handbook Series). ISBN 0-8444-0833-6.
- Posey, C.A (1994). The Living Earth Book of Wind and Weather. Reader's Digest Association. ISBN 0-8957-7625-1.
- Flora and fauna
- Ali, Salim; Ripley, S. Dillon (1995). A Pictorial Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press. pp. 183, 106 colour plates by John Henry Dick. ISBN 0195637321.
- Blatter, E.; Millard, Walter S. (1997). Some Beautiful Indian Trees. Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press. pp. xvii, 165, 30 colour plates. ISBN 019562162X.
- Israel, Samuel; Sinclair (editors), Toby (2001). Indian Wildlife. Discovery Channel and APA Publications.. ISBN 9812345558.
- Prater, S. H. (1971). The book of Indian Animals. Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press. pp. xxiii, 324, 28 colour plates by Paul Barruel.. ISBN 0195621697.
- Rangarajan, Mahesh (editor) (1999). Oxford Anthology of Indian Wildlife: Volume 1, Hunting and Shooting. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. xi, 439. ISBN 0195645928.
- Rangarajan, Mahesh (editor) (1999). Oxford Anthology of Indian Wildlife: Volume 2, Watching and Conserving. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. xi, 303. ISBN 0195645936.
- Tritsch, Mark F. (2001). Wildlife of India. London: Harper Collins Publishers. p. 192. ISBN 0007110626.
- Culture
- Dissanayake, Wimal K.; Gokulsing, Moti (2004). Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change. Trentham Books. p. 161. ISBN 1858563291.. http://books.google.com/?id=_plssuFIar8C&dq
- Johnson, W. J. (translator and editor) (1998). The Sauptikaparvan of the Mahabharata: The Massacre at Night. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics). p. 192. ISBN 9780192823618. http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780192823618
- Kalidasa; Johnson (editor), W. J. (2001). The Recognition of Śakuntalā: A Play in Seven Acts. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics). p. 192. ISBN 9780192839114. http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780192839114
- Karanth, K. Shivarama (1997). Yakṣagāna. (Forward by H. Y. Sharada Prasad). Abhinav Publications. p. 252. ISBN 8170173574.
- Kiple, Kenneth F.; Ornelas, Kriemhild Coneè, eds (2000). The Cambridge World History of Food. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521402166.
- Lal, Ananda (1998). Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 600. ISBN 0195644468. http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Indian-Theatre/dp/0195644468/.
- MacDonell, Arthur Anthony (2004). A History of Sanskrit Literature. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 1417906197.
- Majumdar, Boria; Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (2006). A Social History Of Indian Football: Striving To Score. Routledge. ISBN 0415348358.
- Massey, Reginald (2006). India's Dances. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 8170174341.
- Ramanujan, A. K. (1985). Poems of Love and War: From the Eight Anthologies and the Ten Long Poems of Classical Tamil. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 329. ISBN 0231051077. http://books.google.com/?id=nIybE0HRvdQC&dq.
- Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen (editors), Paul (1999). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, 2nd revised edition. University of California Press and British Film Institute. p. 652. ISBN 9780851706696. Archived from the originalon 6 August 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070806090314/http://ucpress.edu/books/bfi/pages/PROD0008.html.
- Vilanilam, John V. (2005). Mass Communication in India: A Sociological Perspective. Sage Publications. ISBN 0761933727.
External links
| Find more about India on Wikipedia's sister projects: | |
 | Definitions from Wiktionary |
 | Textbooks from Wikibooks |
 | Quotations from Wikiquote |
 | Source texts from Wikisource |
 | Images and media from Commons |
 | News stories from Wikinews |
 | Learning resources from Wikiversity |
 | Book:India |
| Books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print. | |
- Government of India– Official government portal (in English)
- Indiaentry at The World Factbook
- Indiaat UCB Libraries GovPubs
- Indiaat the Open Directory Project
- Wikimedia Atlas of India
- India travel guidefrom Wikitravel
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